How to cook a chicken thighs in the oven

It may not be the most glamorous of dishes, but chicken thighs are an under-celebrated but excellent option for those looking to cook a nice, hearty meal. Whether you’re cooking for yourself or your other half at home, this is how you cook a chicken thigh in the oven.

Before you start, first decide how many minutes per pound you want your chicken thigh to take in order to get it cooked through. The higher the number of minutes per pound, the hotter and more tender it will be in comparison with a lower number of minutes per pound.

Ok, let’s get to the main point..

Step-by-step guide on how to cook a chicken thighs in the oven

• 1.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• 2.  Place a wire rack on top of a baking sheet in order to release the juices that are freely flowing from the chicken thighs once they’re cooked and ready for consumption.
• 3.  Rinse your chicken thighs under cold running water.
• 4.  Pat dry with paper towel and place it on top of the foil lined rice paper (or cookie sheet) as shown above in order for it to catch all the extra juices flowing out of it which is best for meat loafs, meat stews and any other type of meat dishes we intend on cooking later on or even vegan dishes (*).
• 5.  Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper, drizzle generous amount of honey all over it and then place it on top of your wire rack (on the baking sheet) with the other ingredients.
• 6.  Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-20 minutes until your chicken thigh is fully cooked through and nice and soft in all areas as shown above.*
  Note: If you want to use this method to cook a chicken breast, instead of using the wired rack, use a marshmallow stick or toothpick to poke holes all over your chicken breast (like above). Then place it on top of the foil lined small cookie sheet (like above) and bake for about 15-25 minutes.
• 7.  Once your chicken thigh is cooked, remove it from the oven and separate it from the foil lined wire rack by gently rolling it off before transferring to a serving plate, platter or bowl in order to get better visibility of all the lovely browned juices from your chicken thigh as shown above.
• 8.  Transfer the juices that are now freely flowing out of your chicken thigh (whether you used a wired rack or not) onto another waxed paper lined serving plate. Then pour them over a bowl in order to preserve all those amazing flavors together in one spot.(*)
• 9.  Serve the chicken thigh hot with rice, quinoa, pasta or whatever you desire.
  Now that you’ve read this article, it’s time to know how I cook a chicken thigh in the oven. This is my personal way of cooking when I make dishes for myself at home, as well as for my other half and our children who were never fans of eating lean meat in their youth (as we like to call it).

Also Read: How to do a whole chicken?

I always cook chicken thighs in a pan on top of the stove using: 

• 1 cup of water on top of a medium-high temperature 
• 2 tbsp. of apple cider vinegar (or white wine vinegar) on the side.
• 2 tbsp. olive oil on top.
• 1 tsp. of honey.
• 2 tbsp. of brown sugar as well as 
• 1 tsp. of smoked paprika – to add a smoky flavor to the chicken thighs
• 2 tsp. of kosher salt plus more if it needs (this time, I used 2 tbsp. instead). Then I take the chicken thighs out after I’ve cooked them for about 30 minutes through cooking in the oven because I like the meat to be nice and soft in all areas and do not like it drying at all when I’ve fully cooked it..
• 1 cup of iced tea on the side – just for hydration purposes.